Talk Under

by sharethewell

I guess I could categorize this as cultural lesson #926471.

While in Turkey, we were out to dinner with some friends. The father in our group told his sons in the restaurant to “talk under” each other. He went on to explain to us that they have used that phrase in order to help their kids understand culture. In our American culture, we tend to get louder, talk over people and try to be heard. But here in the East, people do not talk over. They talk “under” each other.

This is a great framework for me to understand life here. They tend to be quiet and discrete, blending in with their surroundings and disapproving the loud, boisterous attitudes we embrace in America.

Back here in our city, we were talking with a few friends and realized that there is not a word for “funny.” This culture does not especially value humor, and their language reflects that. There is, however, a word that encompasses someone’s worth, value and wisdom. They say that when a person is loud or smiles too much, their “worth” decreases.

Now we walk the line between respecting these cultural beliefs, but not losing who we are as people and who we are in the Son.

Here’s to fighting the tension!

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